6-8 Bridge Street LEIGHTON BUZZARD Beds. LU7 1AL 01525 375740 info@reclaimlife.net or visit www.reclaimlife.net
Trustees’ Annual Report
From: May 2022 To: May 2023
Charity name: Reclaim Life
Charity registration number: 1138735
Objectives and Purpose
Reclaim Life offers a free, therapeutic and wellbeing life coaching programme, delivered through a dedicated team of volunteer life coaches.
Our life coaches help people who are experiencing emotional distress to understand their emotional needs, learn coping strategies and techniques to help with managing stress, anxiety, anger, trauma, and depression.
Since 2010, we have been offering our free life coaching to people in Leighton Buzzard, surrounding areas and across Bedfordshire.
Impact and Activities
Reclaim Life Centre — we were thrilled to open the centre for operation from June 2022. The building continues to develop but our volunteer staff and life coaches have once again been able to safely meet our clients face-to-face and offer the full range of support and therapies that we know work so well. The centre site has brought about an opportunity to allocate space to our own charity shop ‘Serendipity’, generating funds through the set up for the sale of donated goods.
Reclaim Life Manager — we’re delighted that Sally Hearn, our hardworking Manager, began full time employment with us during the year. As well as being a great Life Coach, she continues her valuable work of keeping the charity organised, and has overseen many of the jobs required to open our centre whilst making sure we are compliant with all the necessary health and safety requirements.
Fundraising — 2022/2023 was again a difficult time for fundraising opportunities. We were very happy to receive a £30k local authority grant from the NHS Bedfordshire, Luton, and Milton Keynes clinical commissioning group. It was granted to enable the charity to provide the life coaching, mentoring, and training (i.e. normal operations/services/running costs) to the local community. Creating fundraising opportunities and grant funding that we may be eligible to apply for continues to be a key objective going forward.
Charitable Trust no. 1138735 Patrons – Andrew Selous (MP South West Bedfordshire) and Mr Brian Sadler
6-8 Bridge Street LEIGHTON BUZZARD Beds. LU7 1AL 01525 375740 info@reclaimlife.net or visit www.reclaimlife.net
Ways of Working — during lockdown we had upped our game on the technology front and were able to adapt our session pack to offer zoom, alongside telephone consultations. This enabled us to save 3 potential suicides as well as offer support to well over 100 clients, who we wouldn’t otherwise have been able to help. It also means we are now able to offer our services to a wider area to support those who can’t reach us due to distance or disability.
We delivered our first ‘in person’ therapeutic life coaching training since the Covid Pandemic. We used a blended learning approach with delegates also attending via zoom. We adapted our previous training to a weekly session, over 6 weeks, followed by an induction for new volunteer coaches. Following this training programme we recruited 5 new volunteer life coaches.
Following the opening the Centre, the demand for our service increased, with 50% more self referrals in the first six months.
Like most of the population, we’ve each faced some difficult challenges over the last 2 years but together we’ve worked hard as a supportive team and are looking forward to moving on to serving local people from our local base.
Partnership Working — we continued to work in partnership with ELFT delivering coaching sessions. We also delivered online wellbeing workshops for social care professionals in Buckinghamshire Council as part of their bi-monthly Wellbeing Weeks.
Operating Model
We offer our service to people in the community who are over 18. We support people from all backgrounds, ages, cultures, and life experiences who are experiencing emotional distress.
We can offer our 5-session programme for free as it is delivered by trained and dedicated volunteers. We fund our work with income from donations, grant funding applications and fundraising.
Our main costs are staff salaries, office and running costs for resources such as mobile phones and volunteer expenses.
Reclaim Life has a clinical supervisor to oversee the supervision of the volunteer life coaches and support provided.
Charitable Trust no. 1138735
Patrons – Andrew Selous (MP South West Bedfordshire) and Mr Brian Sadler
6-8 Bridge Street LEIGHTON BUZZARD Beds. LU7 1AL 01525 375740 info@reclaimlife.net or visit www.reclaimlife.net
Governance and Decision Making
Reclaim Life has a board of Trustees who oversee the governance of the charity, reviewing changes to policies, ensuring Reclaim Life is working within the values it holds and are involved in decision making for the direction and the way forward of the organisation.
The Reclaim Life Manager reports directly to the Chair of Reclaim Life for operational activities and tasks for the day to day running of the charity.
| Reclaim Life Trustees | Date of Appointment |
|---|---|
| Linda Sear-Chair | November 2010 |
| Helen Louise O'Connell | January 2018 |
| Lynda Welford | June 2016 |
| Haneefah Muhammad | July 2014 |
| Dr Miheengari Shafi | April 2012 |
| Brian Sadler | April 2012 |
| Robert Harry Sear | November 2010 |
Charitable Trust no. 1138735
Patrons – Andrew Selous (MP South West Bedfordshire) and Mr Brian Sadler
promoting emotional wellbeing
6-8 Bridge St LEIGHTON BUZZARD Beds. LU7 1AL 01525 375740
info@reclaimlife.net
www.reclaimlife.net
RECLAIM LIFE Registered Charity: 1138735
STATEMENT OF INCOME & EXPENDITURE – for the year ending 30/05/2023
| INCOME Grant-local authority Serendipity-centre donations Coaching sessions Donations Grant-to fund Admin Manager Training Fundraising Gift Aid Reimbursement – HMRC EXPENDITURE Payroll Administration Rent Depreciation Office Expense Insurance Mobile Phones Registrations Promotional Materials SURPLUS available for charitable activities |
2023 £ 30,000 16,628 10,550 8,018 6,943 400 120 0 72,659 28,325 8,895 8,000 5,656 2,727 634 212 35 0 54,574 18,084 |
2022 £ 0 0 2,020 8,713 16,013 0 1,723 2,047 30,516 0 21,058 0 0 945 645 216 35 465 |
|---|---|---|
| 23,364 7,152 |
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promoting emotional wellbeing
6-8 Bridge St LEIGHTON BUZZARD Beds. LU7 1AL 01525 375740 info@reclaimlife.net
www.reclaimlife.net
RECLAIM LIFE Registered Charity: 1138735
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION – @ 30/05/2022
| ASSETS Office Refurbishment Bank account Lease Deposit FUNDS Unrestricted funds available for Reclaim Life LIABILITIES Grant-to fund Admin Manager |
2023 £ 26,393 32,199 0 58,593 58,593 58,593 0 0 |
2022 £ 22,902 16,522 8,000 47,424 40,481 40,481 6,943 6,943 |
|---|---|---|
Accounts prepared by: Alan Gordon ACCA Accounts approved by: Linda Sear, on behalf of the trustees
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CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to th• trusteesl members of RECLAIM LIFE On accounts for tho year ended 3010512023 Charity no Ilf any) 1138735 Set out on pagos I rewrt to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charityllhe TSt°l for the year ended D ,' I',r. Responslbllltl•8 and As the charity trustees of th8 Trust. you are responsible for the preparation basls of report of the accounts in aco)rdance with the requirements of the Chartties Act 2011 (Ihe Acr). I report in respecl of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carying out my examination. I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145{5)Ibl of the Act. I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention (olher than that dbsclosed below.) in connection wilh the examination which gives me cause to believe that in. any material respect.. accounting records were not kept in acwdarKe with section 130 of the Act or the accounts do Th)t accord with accounting records Independent examinerfs statement I have no concems and have come across rK) other matters in wnnection wtth the examination to which attention should be drawn in or(ler to enable proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. ' Please delete the words in the brackets rfthey do not apply. Slgn•d: Date: Name: FCLA CC(L Relevant professlonal qualificatlonls) or l)ody (if any): Address: se IER October 2018
Section B Disclosure Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of conc8m (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts.. directions and guidance for exarninets). ACUnts prepared by Aan Gordon ACCA Glvo here brfof detalls of any items thal the examlner wishes to dlsclose. IER October 2018